Movie Night
by RzPz922
Summary: A late Friday night at Ethan's leads to some confusing feelings. Is it okay to love two people at once? Bethan/Etharah fluff


_/So guess who recently binge-watched My Babysitter's a Vampire on Netflix and rediscovered her ultimate middle school OTP? Anyway have what I'm best at; A fluffy oneshot./_

It was Friday movie night at Ethan's house. His parents had gone out for a night on the town with some friends and Sarah was in to watch him and his sister. Benny had swooped in, too, of course, and they had their party for the night. Ethan had promised Jane she could stay up to watch Zombieland with them if she promised not to tell their parents, and fortunately Rory was out of town so he wouldn't mess up their TV signal again. Jane sat on the floor leaned up against the coffee table with her knees pulled up to her chest. She was completely engrossed in the movie. Ethan was surprised; he was sure the violence would be too much for her and she'd be done by the five-minute mark, but she was holding out great. She loved the movie.

Benny, on the other hand, clearly wasn't having as much fun. When you've been a zombie yourself, zombie movies are probably a little uncomfortable. He kept shifting awkwardly in his seat on the couch next to Ethan. Ethan tried to ignore him and focus on the movie, but seeing his best friend so uncomfortable drove him nuts. He glanced at Sarah, who was leaned against his chest with her head resting in the crook of his neck, tilted so she could see the screen. Her hand was entwined with Ethan's, but she was just as engrossed in the movie as Jane was. She didn't seem to notice Benny at all. Ethan shifted a tiny bit closer to Benny and slowly slipped his arm around Benny's. Benny froze in surprise and his head snapped to Ethan, who hadn't taken his eyes off the screen.

"Dude," Benny hissed. No response. "Dude!" Still nothing.

He decided to shrug it off. The gesture did make him feel a little better, whether that was the intention or not, so he decided to allow Ethan to keep holding his arm. It made the movie easier to handle, at least, but from that point on he had a hard time focusing on the movie. All he could focus on was Ethan's hold on him, and the flutter in his chest that wouldn't go away. His fingers twitched. Before he could rationalize his feelings, his hand was searching for Ethan's. Once he found it, he slipped his hand into it's hold and laced their fingers together. He could feel his heart pounding. Ethan turned to look at him and the two held each other's gaze for a minute before both turning back to the movie.

As Zombieland neared it's end with the four heroes stranded in an amusement park, Ethan could feel his eyes growing heavy. He yawned and tilted his head back, letting his eyes shut. His exhaustion was contagious, as Benny yawned too. In less than a minute both boys were fast asleep.

Soon after, Zombieland ended and the credits rolled. Jane spun around with stars in her eyes and looked up at Sarah, who smiled.

"Good movie?" She asked, stretching her arms. She dropped Ethan's hand and sat up.

"Yeah, the best!" Jane replied happily.

"You're not going to tell your parents, right?" Jane mimed zipping her lips, locking them at the corner, and tossing away the key. "Good. C'mon, it's time for bed."

Sarah got up and took Jane's hand, and walked her up to her room. After tucking her in and shutting off all nearby lights, she returned downstairs and saw Ethan and Benny fast asleep. Ethan's head had rolled off the back of the couch and onto Benny's shoulder. Benny's head rested on top of Ethan's. Sarah chuckled softly before she saw something that made her breath catch in her throat. Benny and Ethan's hands were entwined. She stopped and tried to rationalize that it might be an accident. Just an unlucky position. After all, people tended to move into funny positions when they were asleep, right? But another moment of looking at the hands, just how they were positioned, proved to her that it was very much intentional. She forced herself to slow her breathing and regain her composure. It was late. She was hungry. Maybe her mind was just playing tricks on her. She grabbed a spare blanket and threw it over the boys, then leaned over the couch and planted a gentle kiss on Ethan's forehead. Then she grabbed her coat and walked home.

The next morning, Ethan woke up on the couch with a blanket around his shoulders. He went to rub his eyes and found his hand wrapped in something. He pulled his hand up and Benny's came with it. Then he realized he was lying right between Benny and the back of the couch, using his chest as a pillow. The events during the movie last night rushed back into his head and he dropped Benny's hand and climbed up the back of the couch. He jumped to the floor and hid behind the couch, peeking out. Benny snored softly and rolled straight off the couch, landing on the floor and waking with a jolt. He sat up and ran his hand through his hair. It was sweaty from holding Ethan's for so long.

"This isn't my house," He muttered through a yawn.

He made eye contact with Ethan behind the couch. Ethan's eyes widened and he bolted up the stairs and into his room, slamming the door behind him. Benny still sat on the floor, puzzled. Ethan's mom woke up when she heard the door slam and got out of bed.

"Ethan, honey? Are you okay?" She called, knocking on the door.

"Mhmm, yeah, I'm fine!" Ethan yelled back. He stuffed his face into his pillow.

Mrs. Morgan wandered down the stairs and stopped when she saw Benny sitting on the floor. She shook herself and smiled.

"Good morning, Benny." She greeted. "Do you want some breakfast?"

"I sure would, Mrs. Morgan. Thanks." Benny got to his feet and stretched, then trudged to the kitchen. Mrs. Morgan followed him and started taking out dishes.

"So you and Ethan looked pretty cozy when we got home last night, hm? Is there anything you'd like to tell me?"

"...Sorry?" Benny asked, puzzled.

"When we got home you two were snuggled up fast asleep on the couch. We couldn't bring ourselves to wake you and send you home so we just let you be."

Benny stood frozen in the middle of the kitchen. The floodgates opened and he suddenly remembered everything from the movie last night. Ethan grabbing his arm. Holding Ethan's hand. The constant flutter in his chest that wouldn't go away. How strangely comfortable he felt in Ethan's hold. Falling asleep with Ethan's head on his shoulder. He snapped out of his daze when he noticed Mrs. Morgan staring at him.

"So?" She asked. "Is there anything you think you should tell me?"

Benny's heart pounded. He knew exactly what Mrs. Morgan thought was going on. He also knew it wasn't true. And he also knew that what she'd seen last night must have made it look pretty true. His mind raced. Before he could think of a proper explanation, he panicked.

"Ethan's going out with Sarah!" He blurted. Which wasn't a lie, of course. Ethan had been going out with Sarah for about a month. But Ethan's parents didn't know that.

"Excuse me?" Mrs. Morgan asked in shock.

"I think I'll go home for breakfast! Thanks anyway, Mrs. Morgan, bye!"

Benny turned on his heel and ran out the front door. He didn't stop until he got back home. He shut the front door and leaned against it, sighing.

Ethan lay face-down on his bed, trying to rationalize what he was feeling. Despite his shock at waking up practically spooning Benny, he'd be lying if he said it wasn't cozy and warm and... really nice. Now that he was back in a solitary bed, he couldn't stop thinking about how calm and comfortable he'd felt last night, and in the morning before he'd panicked. There was something about being so close to Benny that had made him feel safe. Something about holding his hand that made it so much easier to sleep. He hadn't slept that well since they'd met Sarah, but something about the calming energy Benny gave off to him that made it so much easier. Ethan groaned into his pillow. He couldn't believe himself. This was almost the exact way he thought about Sarah when he realized he was crushing on her, but Sarah had never made him feel the way Benny did. What _were_ these feelings?

"Ethan, honey?" Mrs. Morgan knocked at the door. "I brought you breakfast."

Ethan sat up and dragged himself out of bed. He put on a smile and opened the door.

"Hey, Mom." He said. "Thanks."

"Are you feeling okay?" Mrs. Morgan pressed a hand to her son's forehead.

"I-I'm fine, Mom. Don't worry about it." Ethan took the bowl of cereal from his mother and stepped back.

"Alright, sweetheart. Let me know if you need anything, okay?"

"Okay."

"...Ethan?"

"Yeah, Mom?"

"You know you can tell me anything, right? I'll love you no matter what."

"Okay, Mom."

Mrs. Morgan shut the door. Ethan sat back on his bed. He picked up his phone. He had a text message from Sarah. He opened it.

 _We need to talk. Meet me outside the school in 10._

 _-Sarah_

Ethan groaned. He hadn't even thought about Sarah. She was gone when he woke up. He should have figured she'd seen them and taken it the wrong way. He scarfed down his breakfast then ran out the door for the school, just like Sarah told him to. She was waiting for him.

"Hi, Sarah," He said nervously, kissing her cheek.

"Hey, Ethan." She said.

"So, what did you want to talk about?" He asked, even though he was pretty sure he knew.

"After the movie last night," Sarah began. Ethan immediately looked down."I saw you and Benny asleep and-" she chuckled a bit, "-holding hands."

"Yeah," Ethan admitted. "But listen, it was an accident. The zombies in the movie were bugging him and he was distracting me and I wanted him to calm down and things just... kept happening and-!"

Sarah put her finger to Ethan's lips, giggling. She ruffled his hair playfully. He relaxed a little bit; now it was obvious she wasn't mad.

"Ethan, calm down. Just tell me one thing." Ethan nodded. "Do you love Benny?"

"I-"

"Yes or no question, sweetie. Do you love him?"

Sarah smiled reassuringly. Her smile always made Ethan feel safe. He sighed. He didn't need to think about it. He already knew the answer.

"...Yes." He said.

"That's all I needed to hear." Sarah smiled.

"But I love you, too!" Ethan said, and that was true. "I love you just as much!"

Sarah reached up and kissed Ethan's cheek a few times.

"I'm happy to share." She assured him.

"Really?"

"Totally. You don't have as much time as I do. I'd never restrict you to only loving one person. You should be able to be with everyone you love."

Ethan swept Sarah into a hug and kissed her. Sarah giggled and returned the affections. When he released her she shooed him away.

"Get a move on! Go talk to him!"

Ethan took off running.

"Love you!"

"Love you too, you dork!"

Ethan rapped on Benny's front door. His grandma answered.

"Oh, Ethan, it's good that you're here," She said. "I think Benny's having some kind of breakdown! Go on up."

"Thanks, Mrs. Weir." Ethan said and rushed to Benny's room.

He knocked on the closed door.

"Go away, Grandma!" Benny shouted.

"Not grandma!" Ethan called back. "I've gotta talk to you, dude. I'm coming in."

He opened the door. Benny was lying on his bed, facing the ceiling. His spellbook was opened at his side and he seemed to be casting random colors and shapes just because he felt like it.

"Your parents think we're together." He said, a puff of shimmering purple dust trailing behind where he moved his fingers. "What'd Sarah think?"

"The same, in a way. I was just talking to her." Ethan responded, leaning against the door.

"She didn't break up with you, did she?"

"No. She just asked if I loved you."

Benny sat up.

"What'd you say?"

Ethan could feel his face growing hot. Butterflies filled his stomach. He shifted his weight from one foot to the other and scratched the back of his neck.

"Ethan? What'd you say?"

"...I said yes."

"Dude,"

Ethan moved over and sat down on the floor next to Benny's bed. Benny pulled himself off the bed and onto the floor next to him. Ethan pulled his knees up to his chest and put his head down. Benny placed a hand on his shoulder.

"'M sorry," Ethan muttered, muffled by his knees.

"Dude. It's okay." Benny said reassuringly. He put his arm around Ethan's shoulders. "Don't worry about it."

They sat like that for a bit longer before Ethan sat back up and looked at Benny.

"You know what Sarah said to that?" He smirked.

"What?"

"She said she'd be happy to share."

Benny's cheeks flushed. He stopped breathing. He could feel his heartbeat quicken. Ethan burst out laughing. Benny rushed to cover his face with his hands. He spun around while Ethan caught his breath. This time it was his turn to hide his face in his knees. Ethan stopped laughing and grabbed his shoulder.

"C'mon, man, don't you get all flustered now." He mocked. Benny didn't move. "Benny, don't be a d-"

In the middle of Ethan's sentence Benny turned and grabbed his face, pulling it to his, smashing their lips together. Ethan's eyes fluttered closed and he immediately returned the kiss. He wrapped his arms around Benny's neck and ran his hands through his messy hair. They broke apart after a minute and stared into each other's eyes before they both started laughing.

"That was good, right? Was that good?" Ethan asked through his laughter.

"Yeah, yeah," Benny snorted. "That was good."

"So... So is this a thing now?"

"This is a thing now." Benny smirked and punched Ethan's arm. "I guess if I gotta share, I'll share with Sarah."


End file.
